Category Archives: Reviews

#0331: Mr. Freeze

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

MR FREEZE

BATMAN: THE NEW ADVENTURES (KENNER)

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Batman: The Animated Series is easily one of the best interpretations of the Batman mythos ever. The characters that benefited best from the series were the more obscure Bat-villains, and none more so than cold-themed villain Mr. Freeze. When the series returned under the New Adventures label, all of the characters received new designs. Freeze received one of the most radical re-designs, and the design eventually made its way into Kenner’s then-current toyline based on the show.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

FreezeNAWilsonMr. Freeze was released in the first year of figures from Kenner’s Batman: The New Adventures line. The figure is based on the character’s appearance in the episode “Cold Comfort” which premiered his TNA design. The figure stands 5 inches tall and features 4 points of articulation. He lacks the usual neck joint present on the Kenner figure, thanks to his removable head. The figure sports a unique sculpt, which is meant to capture the Bruce Timm design of the character. The head is the best part, nicely capturing the gaunt look of Freeze, as well as nicely replicating his clear domed look. The body is pretty good, though the proportions don’t seem quite right. The biggest issue is that the legs are a little bit warped to one side. I’d be tempted to think it was just limited to mine, but ever other figure I’ve seen suffers from the same issue. The figure also has a flip down compartment in his torso, which has some pretty nice mechanical detailing on the inside. Like with the sculpt, the head features the best paint work. Everything is really clean and sharp. On the rest of the body, it’s not terrible, but it’s a little bit sloppy. Mr. Freeze included a freeze gun and a set of robotic legs that his head can be placed on.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Mr. Freeze was always one of my favorite characters on the show, so I got Mr. Freeze when he was originally released. I lost the figure’s head, leaving me with a headless body. Recently, I found the head, but because life hates me, the body had gone missing. So, when my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, got Mr. Freeze in with a bunch of other loose figures, I just gave up and bought a replacement. The figure is pretty great, and he’s still one of my favorites from the line. I’m glad to have a complete one again!

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#0330: The Question

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with ,

THE QUESTION

DC DIRECT

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It’s a figure of Question on The Figure in Question! I’ve been waiting for this to happen! I mean, I own like four or five Question figures, so it was bound to happen soon. Here it is! Ha Ha!

Oh, right, actual review stuff. Let’s get to that! So, back in the days of Hasbro holding the DC license, it was a rarity to see anything that wasn’t Superman or Batman related end up as a toy. When DC Direct first started up, they decided to go the other direction. The more obscure, the better the chances of seeing it released! That’s how there was an entire series of figures devoted to the Charlton comics characters before we ever saw a single Batman from DC Direct. For those of you that don’t know, the Charlton characters are a group of characters originally owned by Charlton Comics. Like so many other companies, DC bought out Charlton, and thus gained possession of their characters. Amongst these were fan favorites such as Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, and The Question. They were originally intended to be used as the main characters of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s Watchmen, before DC ultimately decided they wanted to work them into the DC universe proper. The Question’s replacement, Rorschach, went on to gain quite a fan following. The Question himself was a mostly minor character until his appearance on Justice League Unlimited, where his crazy conspiracy theorist characterization made him one of the show’s stand out characters. Let’s look at his first venture into the world of action figures!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

QuestionWilsonThe Question hails from a time before DC Direct actually had separate lines devoted to different properties. Instead, they would do themed-series. The Question was in the “Charlton Heroes” series. The figure is about 6 inches in height and features 11 points of articulation. He’s based on the character’s original Steve Ditko-designed look, before he gained the now standard trench coat and gloves. The figure features a unique sculpt. It’s not Ditko inspired, as the figure predates DC Direct’s move to specific artist-styled figures. The sculpt is alright, though it’s rather stiff, which was common with the early DC Direct figures. The arms and legs seem too skinny, especially if you’re used to seeing the character in his original Ditko appearances. It’s not bad, but it’s not optimal. He features a removable hat/mask combo. It’s an inspired idea, but it doesn’t work out as well as they wanted, I feel. The hat looks okay from the front, but from any other angle, the shape seems off. The masked look is fine, but the removable feature means the underlying head is a little undersized, and looking upward eternally, for some strange reason. To give DC Direct some credit, the paint work on the Qestion is superb. Everything is clean and bold. There are no issues with slop or bleed over.  The only real issue the figure faces is that his hair is mostly red, as opposed to the proper black. This issue is mostly to do with the removable mask feature, since Vic Sage has red hair when the mask is off.  The question included no accessories.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Question2Though this is the very first figure of The Question, this is actually the last figure of him I’ve gotten. When it was originally released, I didn’t know the character. So, I skipped over it, although I do remember thinking he looked pretty cool. After his appearance on JLU, I developed a real appreciation for the character. Recently, my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, got a collection of loose action figures in. The Question was among them, so I went ahead and got him. The figure hasn’t aged too well, and I think he’s been over shadowed by better versions of the character (namely the outstanding DCUC version!), but it’s not a bad figure at all. I’m glad I decided to pick him up!

#0329: Space Ghost

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

SPACE GHOST

SPACE GHOST: COAST TO COAST

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SPAAAAAAACE GHOOOOOST!

Once or twice before, I’ve mentioned my love of old cartoons. There is one old cartoon in particular that I love more than any other. That cartoon is Space Ghost. Space Ghost is simply put, one of the coolest cartoons ever. The characters were designed by legendary artist Alex Toth, who is the man responsible for most of the character design work on the original Super Friends, and they are all amazing examples of just how awesome his work could be.

In the late 90s, Cartoon Network was looking for some original programing that could possibly appeal to an older audience. They turned to Space Ghost, and through some re-editing of old animation and some new dialogue, they created Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, which re-imagined Space Ghost as a late night talk show host. I’ve never actually seen a full episode of the show, but toymakers Toycom put out a set of figures based on the show. Thanks to Coast to Coast re-using the original animation, this meant that they could work just as well as figures from the original. Today, I’ll be looking at that line’s version of the title character!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

SpaceGhostWilsonSpace Ghost was released a few times in Toycom’s Space Ghost: Coast to Coast line. Initially, he was released on his own, but he also shipped with the release of Zorak, Brak, and Moltar. The releases are pretty much identical. The figure was released in both normal and invisible versions. They both used the same sculpt, but the invisible one was made of unpainted clear plastic, while the normal one featured a full paint job. I’ll be looking at the normal one today. Space Ghost stands about 6 inches tall and features 16 points of articulation. Space Ghost features a unique sculpt, based on his appearance in both the original Space Ghost and Coast to Coast. The sculpt does a pretty great job capturing the essence of the character. He’s even got the proper little bit of flow to his cape, which is absolutely essential to Space Ghost. An argument could be made that the face is perhaps a little too smooth for Space Ghost, but there was enough variance in the character’s design on the show that this isn’t a very noticeable issue. The paint on the figure is basic, but that’s right for the design. He’s molded in white plastic for the body and yellow for the cape. Unfortunately, the white plastic doesn’t age well, so it’s yellowed over time. However, this is hardly an issue that the toymakers could have known at the time. The actual paint is all pretty well applied. There’s next to no bleed over, slop or fuzzy lines, which is certainly impressive for the time. One issue is the slight tendency of the black paint to chip, especially at the base of the neck joint. It might have been better to mold the head in black plastic to avoid the issue, but at least it’s not too obvious. Space Ghost is quite well accessorized, with an alternate set of hands (one for holding his cards, one for activating the power bands), a desk, a stool, four cue cards with Space Ghost logos, and a Space Ghost coffee mug.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I was about 4 or 5, a friend of my dad loaned me his copy of the entirety of the original Space Ghost (and Dino Boy!) on LASERDISC! If you don’t know what that is, don’t feel bad, it’s a format that never really took off. Essentially, it’s a precursor to DVD that was about 5 times the size and held a whole lot less. Anyway, I loved the show and would watch it all the time, prompting the friend to essentially give me the laserdisc on a permanent loan. When the Coast to Coast figures came out, I remember searching several places trying to find the normal version. I eventually got one from my faithful comicbook store, Cosmic Comix. I loved that figure to no end. Okay, I actually loved that figure to its end. By the time I was through with it, the cape was gone and a fair bit of paint was missing from the head and power bands. Eventually, I replaced him with an invisible version (bought years later, also from Cosmic Comix), but that wasn’t the same. A few years ago, I considered replacing him with the Jazwares version, but I never saw one with a paintjob that wasn’t atrocious, so I never got one. Just last month, Cosmic Comix got in a collection of loose action figures, and wouldn’t you know it, there was a Space Ghost. I should point out, I was actually travelling that week, so my Dad found him and got him for me, making this the third Space Ghost purchased for me by my Dad from Cosmic Comix. Which is actually kind of cool! I still love this figure, and I’m glad to have a proper replacement!

#0328: The Rocketeer

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

ROCKETEER

ROCKETEER REACTION

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Yesterday, I defended the ReAction line in spite of its flaws. It might be easy for you, the reader, to look at the Jayne figure I examined yesterday and ask why I would try to defend a line that produced such a figure. That’s because I knew that today’s figure was up next.

1990’s The Rocketeer is one of my favorite movies. It’s a wonderful example of a super hero movie that predated the super hero boom by just a few years. Its director, Joe Johnson, even went on to direct Captain America: The First Avenger, another of my favorites. Sadly, The Rocketeer is at best a cult favorite, and it has been mostly left out in terms of toys. When Funko announced their list of ReAction Figures, the Rocketeer was the one I wanted the most. Now it’s here, so let’s see how it turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

RocketeerWilsonThe Rocketeer was his own release under the ReAction banner. He’s really the only figure I could see Funko offering, so that’s fair. I’d still like a Lothar figure, but I’m weird. The Rocketeer is roughly 3 ¾ inches in height and he has the same 5 points of articulation we’ve seen on the rest of the line. He’s based on the movie version of the character, but this is one of those rare instances where it works just as well as a comic version. The sculpt on the figure is overall very impressive. It’s not perfect. The decision to make the helmet removable goes against the Kenner style, though it’s hard to say if they would have stuck to that in the case of someone like Cliff Secord, who did take his helmet off a lot. The underlying unmasked head seems a bit vertically squashed, but it’s not terrible. I doubt anyone is planning to display him without the helmet. The helmet is a very nice sculpt, even if it is a little bit oversized. The Rocketeer is one of the few ReAction figures not to have any issues with the sculpt being too flat, which is definitely a good thing. The details on the costume are quite nice, and they fit the style very well. The jetpack is another separate piece, and it’s a really great sculpt. There’s lots of nice details, and they even sculpted the little piece of gum on the back! The paint work on Cliff is okay, not amazing. It’s mostly clean, but there are a few areas of bleed over here and there. There’s also a small issue with paint transfer from the hands to the thighs. It scratches back off, but it’s annoying. The Rocketeer includes no extra accessories, but since the helmet and jetpack are packed separately, that’s not really a bad thing.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I first heard about the Rocketeer figure, I was instantly on board for getting the figure. The figure’s release actually ended up sneaking up on me a bit. I ended up getting him along with the remainder of the Firefly ReAction Figures from Amazon. Of the figures I received in that shipment, Rocketeer is far and away my favorite. After the bit of a descent in quality seen with the Firefly figures, this figure is a real pick me up for the line. He has his flaws, but I think he really shows the true potential of this line. If Funko can manage to make more figures in the vein of this one, I think the ReAction line can really take off.

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#0327: Jayne Cobb

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

JAYNE COBB

FIREFLY REACTION

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Of all the Firefly toylines out there, Funko and Super 7’s Firefly ReAction Figures line is certainly the one with the most characters. It is certainly the best Firefly line in the 3 ¾ inch scale that imitates the vintage Kenner style. This line’s versions of Wash, Zoe and Kaylee can’t be beat! Ummm….okay, so I may be reaching for things to say here. So here’s the sad state of affairs, guys: as I continue with the reviews of the Firefly ReAction Figures, I find the quality to be on a bit of a downward slope. Let’s continue that slope with Jayne Cobb, who is hands down the best hired gun on board the Serenity!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

JayneWilsonJayne Cobb was released in the first series of Firefly ReAction Figures. The figure is about 3 ¾ inches in height, and he features those very familiar 5 points of articulation we’ve all seen before. Like the rest of the series, Jayne has been given a look that sort of epitomizes his look from the show. Here’s where things go off the rails. I’m not going to say that the sculpt is bad per say. It’s just that Funko’s sculptors seem to have based their sculpt on some alternate universe where Jayne was played by David Schwimer instead of Adam Baldwin. I can see the confusion, though. I mean, Adam and David are both… tall, and uhh… Okay, they aren’t really that similar. All joking aside, Jayne has been saddled with the worst sculpt in the series. His proportions are odd, his arms stick out weirdly, his torso’s too flat, and his head is just wrong. Jayne, who should be a rather big and imposing guy, has been reduced to a scrawny, silly looking toy. That hardly does the character justice. To give Funko some credit, the detailing on the boots, gloves, and belt are actually really nice, but they aren’t enough to save the sculpt. The best that can be said about the figure’s paint work is that it’s clean. That being said, it’s not terribly exciting, and the work on the face doesn’t really do much to help the unfortunate sculpt. Jayne comes packed with both a handgun and his very favorite gun, Vera. These are cool, but, like Mal, Jayne has some trouble properly holding them.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Just like the rest of the “post-Wash” Firefly reviews, Jayne was acquired via Amazon. Cutting right to the chase, Jayne’s not a very good figure. That being said, as I pointed out with Kaylee, I can’t bring myself to hate this figure. For all its flaws, it fills me with just a bit of joy to even have these figures on my shelf. Jayne may not be a great figure, but Wash was. It wouldn’t feel right to only have part of the crew on display, so Jayne becomes necessary. It’s also important to keep in mind that this style of figure doesn’t mesh with every character. Jayne’s mean to be a cool looking, big, imposing guy. Let’s all keep in mind that Kenner turned this into this. That’s not a complaint against Chewbacca, it’s a statement that these figures will always look a little goofier than their counterparts. Jayne is not one of my favorite figures, and the first series of Firefly ReAction Figures are not without flaws, but I don’t regret the purchase of a single one of them. Take that for what you will.

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#0326: Kaylee Frye

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

KAYLEE FRYE

FIREFLY REACTION

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You have to give some credit to Funko. They somehow have the ability to get every license ever. Is there some property you’ve been dying to see some toys from? Because odds are good that Funko currently holds the license for that property. I think part of the reason they are able to secure so many licenses is just the sheer amount of product they are able to put out. When they announced their partnership with Super 7 to produce the ReAction line, which is a line of figures done in the style of the 80s Star Wars line from Kenner, they didn’t hold back. They announced over 50 figures from numerous properties, all in one shot. Amongst those properties was fan favorite Firefly. The figures certainly aren’t for everyone, but I was rather excited. Today, I’ll be taking a look at the ship’s every cheerful mechanic, Kaylee!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

kayleeWilsonKaylee was released as part of the first series of Firefly ReAction Figures. She stands just shy of 3 ¾ inches tall and features those same faithful 5 points of articulation as the rest of the ReAction line. She’s dressed in her typical jumpsuit with a colorful shirt underneath look, sort of the inverse of Wash’s look. Kaylee is unfortunately a character that is a bit let down by this particular style of figure. Putting it lightly, the figure isn’t as pretty as Kaylee was on the show. That being said, this isn’t entirely the fault of the sculpt. The sculpt is far from perfect, but it doesn’t do a terrible job of capturing Kaylee. One notable thing: Kaylee is far too skinny. It’s a fairly known fact that Joss Whedon had actress Jewel Staite put on a little bit of weight so that she would, in his words, “look like she enjoyed a cheeseburger occasionally.” Making her too skinny sort of robs the figure of character. At first glance, the worst aspect of the sculpt is the head, which bears next to no resemblance to actress Jewel Staite. Further examination reveals that it’s not the sculpt that is the issue, but rather the paint. The head’s still a little off, but it’s not as terrible as the paint would leave you to believe. The main issue with the paint work on the figure, particularly the head, is misalignment. Looking at the figure’s face, it’s pretty clear that the eyes are meant to sit down a bit lower. The misplacement ends up making her look rather strange. The rest of the paint isn’t terrible, but there are numerous areas where it seems the paint has just slightly missed its mark. Like Zoe, the paint on the figure looks alright as a whole, but examining each piece it looks pretty bad. Kaylee’s only accessory is a small wrench. I guess it makes some sense, since she’s a mechanic, but she wasn’t actually seen carrying a wrench on many occasions. What’s more, the figure can’t even really hold it, making it even more pointless. I can appreciate Funko’s movement to give the figure a little more value, but I feel like something like the box with the strawberry or her paper umbrella from the pilot might have made for more appropriate pieces.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got Kaylee from Amazon, at the same time as the rest of the first series (sans Wash). Kaylee was my second favorite character on the show, after Wash, so this was a figure I was kind of looking forward to. Sadly, I think Kaylee is the figure I was most let down by in this first series. She’s not the worst in the series (I’ll get to that tomorrow), but she isn’t as good as she could be. To be fair, a decent coat of paint would do a lot to redeem the figure, so it could be possible to make the figure a little better if you want to put the effort in. All that being said, I can’t help but enjoy the figure. It’s irrational, but there it is.

 

#0325: Zoe Washburne

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

ZOE WASHBURNE

FIREFLY REACTION

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The vintage 3 ¾ inch style has recently come back into fashion. Leading the charge are Funko and Super 7, with their ReAction Figures. They started the line off by releasing the unreleased Kenner Alien figures, and have moved onto their own unique sculpts based on other properties. Among the first properties to be released in the style was Joss Whedon’s Firefly. So far, I’ve looked at the ship’s captain Malcolm Reynolds and the pilot Hoban “Wash” Washburne. Today, I’ll be taking a look at Mal’s right-hand (wo)man and Wash’s wife, Zoe Washburne.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

ZoeWilsonZoe is another figure from the first series of Firefly ReAction Figures. She’s roughly 3 ¾ inches tall and features the classic 5 points of articulation. Like Mal, Zoe had a fairly consistent look over the course of the series, with mostly just the colors changing from episode to episode. Zoe features a totally unique sculpt. It’s a pretty decent sculpt, and it probably captures the Kenner style the best of all the figures in the series. The figure bears a passing resemblance to Gina Torres, which I suppose fits the style of the line. The face does seem just a slight bit too thin, but it isn’t terrible. It would also be nice if the hair allowed for a bit more movement, but this is actually a complaint about true vintage Kenner figures. The paint on Zoe is where things fall apart a bit. Viewed as a whole, it’s not bad, but it’s not great. Close examination brings out some serious issues of bleed over as well as a bit of slop here and there. The biggest issue is the figure’s hairline, which is a total miss. It looks like the paint app for her skin was just totally misaligned, which leaves it bleeding pretty heavily into what’s supposed to be her hair. Her eyes and eyebrows seem to be shifted a tad upward too, which means they don’t quite line up with the sculpt. Another issue, which I didn’t even notice at first, is that they’ve painted the upper part of her torso incorrectly. It should be done in a flesh tone to match the rest of her skin, but they’ve accidentally painted it the same color as her leather vest, making it look like she’s got another shirt underneath the green one. If you don’t know it’s supposed to be that way, it’s not too bad, but it looks odd once you’ve seen what it should look like. Otherwise, the paint is fine, I guess. Zoe includes a shotgun, which is pretty signature to the character. Her grip isn’t quite right to hold it, but it’s no worse than how Mal holds his revolver.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Zoe was purchased along with the rest of the series from Amazon. Zoe’s definitely in my top three for favorite characters on the show (after Wash and Kaylee), so I definitely wanted her to be a good figure. The sculpt isn’t bad, but the paint work is a serious letdown. With a better paintjob, I really think this could have been one of the best figures in the line. As it is now, I think it’s still the second best, after Wash, but it’s nowhere near the quality of that figure. She’s not a bad figure by any means, but she could be better.

#0324: Malcolm Reynolds

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

MALCOLM REYNOLDS

FIREFLY REACTION

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Back in the 80s, the toymakers at Kenner made a serious impact on the action figure market when they introduced their line of 3 ¾ inch figures based on Star Wars. The scale proved to be a huge hit, maintaining itself as one of the industry standards for over 30 years. Moreover, the style of the vintage Star Wars figures is quite popular with many collectors, those being the figures that brought many of them into the collecting world. Funko and Super 7 have recently joined forces to try and recapture that style and bring it to just about every property imaginable. One set of figures I was most excited for was the figures from Joss Whedon’s cult favorite Firefly. I recently reviewed plucky pilot Wash, and I liked him enough to pick up the rest of the first series. I’ll be kicking things off with Captain Tightpants himself, Malcom Reynolds.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

MalWilsonLike Wash, Mal was released as part of the first series of Firefly ReAction Figures. He is 3 ¾ inches tall and features the old-faithful 5 points of articulation. Mal had a fairly consistent look over the course of the series, though it should be noted that Funko have chosen to depict him without his signature Brown Coat. There is an exclusive version that features a cloth one, but the regular release is sans coat. Mal features a sculpt that is completely unique to this figure. It’s an alright sculpt. He bears a passing resemblance to Nathan Fillion, but it wouldn’t be very easy to place him if he weren’t in the typical Mal get-up. The weakest point of Mal’s sculpt is definitely his torso, which is too flat to properly capture the Kenner style. It really throws the rest of the figure off, which is a shame. It seems odd to say this, but the legs are actually the best work on the figure. I can’t help but look at those and see a set of vintage Kenner legs, so kudos to Funko for that. The paintwork on Mal is in keeping with the Kenner style that Funko’s going for, which is certainly good. It’s simplistic, but it’s nice and clean. All the paint apps seem to be right where they should be. Mal’s sole accessory is his signature revolver, molded in a brownish yellow.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After I picked up Wash, I pretty much immediately went ahead and ordered the rest of the first series from Amazon. Being totally honest, Mal isn’t quite up to the standards set by Wash. He lacks a lot of the character that was present in that figure, which makes this figure a little more bland overall. That being said, he isn’t a bad figure. If you’re into this style, you could do a lot worse than to pick up this figure.

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#0323: Herman Munster & Muster Koach

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

HOT ROD HERMAN WITH MUNSTER KOACH

THE MUNSTERS MINIMATES

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I must admit, I don’t actually know a whole lot about The Munsters. I understand the basic premise, which is essentially just the reverse of The Adams Family, and I’ve seen an episode or two. I think, if pressed, I could probably name most of the family members. But, other than that, my knowledge is limited. One thing I do know a whole lot about, however, is Minimates. Specifically, how awesome they are! The Musters Minimates weren’t a very expansive line. They were limited to just two separate releases: two variants of Herman Munster and the Munster Koach. Regular Herman and the Koach were released at Toys R Us, while Hot Rod Herman and the Koach were released in various specialty stores. I’ll be looking at the specialty set.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

HermanMunster2Herman is presented here in his “Hot Rod Herman” get-up. Based on what it says on the back of the box, “Hot Rod Herman” is an episode of the show where Herman takes up drag racing. This figure is based on the gear he wore during the episode. Herman is about 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. He makes use of the standard Minimate body, with a new head sculpt in place of the standard one, as well as a pair of extra tall feet, and add-ons for the character’s jacket and neck bolts. The feet and neck bolts were previously used on the Universal Monsters Minimates Frankenstein’s Monster. Given Herman’s similar nature, it’s a sensible re-use. The jacket and head are the new pieces for this figure, and they both look pretty good, and accurately represent the character’s look from the specific episode. Herman’s paintwork is pretty great. Everything is clean and sharp, and they’ve done a nice job translating Herman’s likeness to the ‘mate form. I should also point out that the figure is in Black & White, meaning all the paint is done in shades of gray. This is done very well, and the figure does genuinely look like he’s in Black & White.

THE VEHICLE ITSELF

HermanMunster3The Munster Koach serves as an accessory to Herman in essence, though it does overshadow him a bit in the packaging. The Koach is about 5 inches in length and about 3 ½ inches at its tallest point. It features moving wheels and a hinged roof. The sculpt for the Koach is unique to the Koach itself, though the two versions are identical in sculpt. It’s a good sculpt. There are a fair share of details, but not too many so as to make it stand out from Minimates aesthetically. The detail of the sculpt is truly impressive, right down to the fringing on the interior curtains and the stitching on the seats. The dashboard is even fully detailed, with a clutch, steering wheel, and several buttons. The paintwork marks HermanMunster4the key difference between the two versions of the Koach offered. This one has been done in a Black & White color scheme to match Herman. Obviously, there aren’t as many differing colors on this version, but the paintwork is still nice and clean, and the variance of the grays is really well done.

 

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up this set from my favorite Minimate retailer, Luke’s Toy Store, along with the Kill Bill sets. Mostly, I picked the set up because it was $4, but I have to admit it is a pretty nifty little set. The Koach is a nicer vehicle than a lot of the others offered in the Minimates line. It is a bit odd to see a Black & White version of a figure there is no color equivalent for, but Hot Rod Herman is a pretty solid Minimate. All in all, a fun set that I would highly recommend.

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#0322: Biker Scout

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

BIKER SCOUT

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES

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To make matters of confusion worse in regards to the two separate scales for Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Black Series, I’ve opted to go through with reviewing the lone figure that I own in both scales. The key difference here is that this time around, it’s an Original Trilogy character. But, wait, wasn’t I sticking to the larger scale for OT characters? Quiet you! Today’s figure is the Star Wars equivalent of George of the Jungle, the Biker Scout. Watch out for that tree!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

BikerScoutSmallWilsonThe Biker Scout was released as figure #07 in the first assortment of the 3 ¾ inch scale Star Wars: The Black Series. Like the Clone Sergeant and the Clone Pilot before him, this isn’t any particular character, but rather one of the basic Scout Troopers, seen in Return of the Jedi. The Biker Scout is roughly 3 ¾ inches tall and has 25 points of articulation. At first glance, I thought this figure might just be a straight rerelease of the Saga Legends version of this design, but it looks like Hasbro’s given this one a pretty thorough re-work. The articulation isn’t quite there just yet, but Hasbro’s definitely making some serious strides. The Biker Scout’s sculpt appears to be all-new [EDIT: A little bit of looking around shows that this figure is the same sculpt as the Biker Scout included with the 2012 Toys R Us exclusive Speeder Bike. Since I don’t have that set, this sculpt is still new to me]. There are quite a few similarities to previous versions, but that’s to be expected. On its own, it’s not a bad sculpt, and does a pretty decent job capturing the various elements of the design. The only real negative of the figure is the helmet. The Goggles seem to be too small in relation to the helmet, and the helmet itself seems too small in relation to the rest of the body, which makes the figure look like a bit of a pin-head. The paint work on the Biker Scout is mostly straight forward, but there are a few issues. There are a few areas with some small scrapes and smudges, as well as a decent bit of bleed over on the elbow and knee pads. Also, the shoulder and ankle joints have been molded in black plastic, which makes them stand out unnecessarily. Had they been molded in white plastic, this could have been avoided. Lastly, the pouches on his mid-section, while cleanly painted, have been painted a solid tan, which seems like just a bit too much of a contrast from the surrounding areas. The Biker Scout is armed with a small blaster pistol.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Biker Scout was gotten at the same time as the Clone Pilot and the Clone Sergeant. As I mentioned in my review of his larger scaled counterpart, the Biker Scout is my favorite Trooper design from Star Wars. That being said, I think this figure would have been better served had I gotten it before the 6-inch version. It’s not a bad figure on its own, but it pales in comparison to the truly impressive Biker Scout from the larger line. The point is, this is a good figure. It’s probably the best version of the Biker Scout in the 3 ¾ inch scale. If you prefer that scale, than this is the figure for you!

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